TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After weeks of preparation, the 19th Taiwan LGBT Pride online parade began on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 30) through an exclusive event website designed to recreate a physical parade as much as possible.

As soon as the website went live at 2 p.m., a livestream of performances and activities on the “main stage” began, with singer Yo Lee (李友廷) and Master Nana (那那大師) taking the stage. The first part of the parade also featured pre-recorded tales from activists about their journeys as well as anecdotes about HIV-related issues to raise awareness.

The online parade also features several livestreamed “floats,” including a chatroom discussing life after same-sex marriage legalization. There was a party room with showering men and drag queens as well as themed discussions about the history of Taiwan's Pride parades and international LGBT realities.

Prior to the event, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) posted on Facebook inviting citizens to join the celebration. She wrote that during an interview with CNN, the host had asked her what made her a supporter of the issue.

“I said I did all this with the help of the younger generation because they believe in these values and want to achieve equality,” Tsai wrote. “The insistence of the younger generation supported me, and eventually we did pass the law to allow citizens the right to enjoy marriage equality.”

Regarding the parade, Tsai said society will continue to educate itself and try to embrace differences and diverse values. “Our society is taking steps forward… we are also working hard to turn differences into similarities and to turn the past’s minorities into everyday normality.”